I’m deciding a new rifle caliber… any thoughts?

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JmacD said:
My deer rifle is torn down, getting “remodeled” so my daughter will be able to shoot it/hunt with it when she’s older. So, I’ve saved my pennies, and I’m after a rifle. I’m also working on another”Big Bang” build, so this one will be just my hunting rifle. Mostly deer, with the possibility of elk at some point. I hunt an area that offer 800 yard shots if you want to take them. And I’ve shot deer everywhere from 75 yards to 463(offhand with no rest… not my smartest decision)
EDIT: I should clarify that the above mentioned 800 yards application applies to Whitetails. The area that I might hunt elk, well, I haven’t seen it yet.
I’ve thought about staying with .308 as that’s what most of my immediate family shoots. I’ve also thought about the time honored 270 win, and I have a big soft spot for that venerable caliber. I momentarily considered a creedmoor, and though I admire them and will own one at some point, I’m just not quite ready to join the manbun clamor. Hahaha

But, unless I spy something amazing for an amazing price on the used rack, I have narrowed it to two calibers. Kinda apples to oranges, but I’m thinking either the 7mm rem mag, or the 6.5 PRC. I see pros and cons in both. It ultimately will come down to availability most likely. Likely will have a muzzle brake, and recoil(unless talking knock you off the bench kind) shouldn’t be a problem anyway.
Anyone have any thoughts?
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Hey Jmac, glad to see you busy on many of the sub forums on here. I have a soft spot for 270Win as no gun collection is complete without a walnut stocked 270 bolt gun IMHO... However, I have a custom Remington 700 build I'm doing in 25-06 with a custom barrel from McGowen Precision Barrels out of Kalispell Montana. It just shipped today actually after 8 weeks whereas I was quoted 12 weeks so I'm not mad, lol. It is a 1/7 twist 26' barrel with 8 flutes on it in a light Palma contour with 5/8x24 threads for suppressor/muzzle brake use. I will post on here when its all put together... If you are wanting an all around hunting cartridge, you cant go wrong with any of the 06 class cartridges such as 25-06, 6.5-06, 270Win, 280 Remington, 30-06, 338-06, or the mighty 35 Whelen. If I left any off, someone will correct me I'm sure lol. :)
 
Varminterror said:
This, but with Retumbo rather than H1000, has been my choice for LR big game for a long time.
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Has anyone ever figured out what kind of dark arts wizardry kraut space magic is inside Retumbo to give a decent increase in velocity at lower pressures? H1000 and Retumbo are close but not quite the same burn rate so it has to be something else...
 
JmacD said:
I edited the original version of the post… 800yds IF you wanna take it. If someone is capable and can shoot that well, fine. But if there is a string of wounded animals, or even one, don’t feel bad if I take the proverbial hickory switch to them(JK). No I’d probably call them some choice names and try to expel em from hunting somewhere I did. I’ve hunted with plenty that took animals at long distances with no issues. But they were very choosy when they took those shots.
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I've got a Morrison barreled 300 Winchester I used to shoot 1000 yards with many moons ago when I could see much better. Farthest shot on a deer, a touch over 290 yrd
Anymore for deer hunting at the farm, out the kitchen window with a 450 Bush works better. Nothing like a warm house blind
 
270OKIE said:
Hey Jmac, glad to see you busy on many of the sub forums on here. I have a soft spot for 270Win as no gun collection is complete without a walnut stocked 270 bolt gun IMHO... However, I have a custom Remington 700 build I'm doing in 25-06 with a custom barrel from McGowen Precision Barrels out of Kalispell Montana. It just shipped today actually after 8 weeks whereas I was quoted 12 weeks so I'm not mad, lol. It is a 1/7 twist 26' barrel with 8 flutes on it in a light Palma contour with 5/8x24 threads for suppressor/muzzle brake use. I will post on here when its all put together... If you are wanting an all around hunting cartridge, you cant go wrong with any of the 06 class cartridges such as 25-06, 6.5-06, 270Win, 280 Remington, 30-06, 338-06, or the mighty 35 Whelen. If I left any off, someone will correct me I'm sure lol. :)
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Ditto on the 270!!! I already have mine picked out… but $$$$. Haha. I’ve got deer with the 270,25-06,but not any of the others. The 270!is definitely the elder statesmen. At risk of incurring the wrath of some, I think it tends to outperform it’s pop the 30-06 in the whitetail woods. I remember one time when I was…. must have been 6-9 somewhere, sitting between two very experienced and competent hunters. Both had good bolt guns; both similar handloads. Several deer came through and both shot at about the same time. Both deer were hit in almost the exact place; both deer were remarkably similar in size. But the one shot with the 30-06 ran about 5 times as far. That made an impression in my kid mind I’ve never forgotten. And of course the 270 has been the family gun on my Moms side for years. It’s probably on the light side for elk or moose, but if it’s what I had you bet I’d use it.
 
bigpower491 said:
I've got a Morrison barreled 300 Winchester I used to shoot 1000 yards with many moons ago when I could see much better. Farthest shot on a deer, a touch over 290 yrd
Anymore for deer hunting at the farm, out the kitchen window with a 450 Bush works better. Nothing like a warm house blind
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The window is a great option if you have the place/facilities for it. Lol. I’ve pushed 500 yards at a deer. But if you’re going to shoot at game at a long distance, you better be able to shoot the eye out of a ant at that distance.
To people who have never hunted the plains, a long shot might sound abhorrent. But fact is, that’s about all ya get out here a lot of times. That said, the doe that permanently bowed to my dads 270 this year was about 78 yards. Lol
 
338lm I post has very little recoil due to the very effective brake! I can shoot it all day long.
 

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I'd stay away from the 6.5 PRC. I made a mistake of buying a rifle in this chambering and I've regretted it ever since. It's basically an expensive paperweight. You can't get find ammo or brass for the damn thing. I'm fixing to trade it in for a 270 winchester which offers similar ballistics but is much easier to FIND ammo for. I suspect the 300 PRC probably has the same issue. Isn't it crazy how the gun industry constantly tries to reinvent the wheel? Long ago when I was a teenager buying my first deer rifle I ended up getting the old reliable 30-06. In those days a friend and I used to constantly argue about the "30-06 vs 270 winchester" question. He was a loyal follower of Jack O'Connor and thought his 270 was the greatest thing since sliced bread. I naturally disagreed and stuck with the 30-06. I still own quite a few rifles in this caliber but now grudgingly realize that the 270 shoots flatter and can do anything the 6.5 prc can do, has much better ammo availability and is superior to the 30-06 when it comes to LR shooting. I'm still hanging on to my 30-06's though. It's the same story with the 357 sig vs 38 super handgun rounds they both have the same ballistics but the 38 super is easier to find brass and handload for.
 
Capstick1 said:
I'd stay away from the 6.5 PRC. I made a mistake of buying a rifle in this chambering and I've regretted it ever since. It's basically an expensive paperweight. You can't get find ammo or brass for the damn thing. I'm fixing to trade it in for a 270 winchester which offers similar ballistics but is much easier to FIND ammo for. I suspect the 300 PRC probably has the same issue. Isn't it crazy how the gun industry constantly tries to reinvent the wheel? Long ago when I was a teenager buying my first deer rifle I ended up getting the old reliable 30-06. In those days a friend and I used to constantly argue about the "30-06 vs 270 winchester" question. He was a loyal follower of Jack O'Connor and thought his 270 was the greatest thing since sliced bread. I naturally disagreed and stuck with the 30-06. I still own quite a few rifles in this caliber but now grudgingly realize that the 270 shoots flatter and can do anything the 6.5 prc can do, has much better ammo availability and is superior to the 30-06 when it comes to LR shooting. I'm still hanging on to my 30-06's though. It's the same story with the 357 sig vs 38 super handgun rounds they both have the same ballistics but the 38 super is easier to find brass and handload for.
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Familiar with that debate. I’ve never killed a deer with 30-06. But I’ve helped trail several that were hit well and should have fell down quicker. Yet another hit the same with the 270 falls instantly. I’m not blaming the caliber. It’s likely just coincidental. But, I have a buddy that has seen the opposite. Ya. Kinda crazy. Lol.
Right now, I’m seeing lots of rifles in PRC, no ammo. And lots (relatively)of ammo in other calibers but no rifles…
 
JmacD said:
Familiar with that debate. I’ve never killed a deer with 30-06. But I’ve helped trail several that were hit well and should have fell down quicker. Yet another hit the same with the 270 falls instantly. I’m not blaming the caliber. It’s likely just coincidental. But, I have a buddy that has seen the opposite. Ya. Kinda crazy. Lol.
Right now, I’m seeing lots of rifles in PRC, no ammo. And lots (relatively)of ammo in other calibers but no rifles…
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Yeah I went to Bass Pro last weekend and saw a whole bunch of 308 ammo and not a single 308 rifle and a bunch of 6.5Creed rifles and no 6.5C ammo... Something about it doesn't add up...
 
Legionnaire said:
I like the 6.5 PRC. But I bought enough brass to burn out the barrel before I bought the gun.
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I admire all of the PRC cartridges so far. And I live in Hornady country, so I’ve been able to talk to a couple of people that have some of the inside scoop :) my tactical instructor was actually in on his development a little bit. The 300 that is. But, the last box of ammo I saw for the 6.5 PRC was about 100 bucks.
 
I'm probably going to tick a bunch of people off but if your looking at 800 yard shots, you need to learn how to hunt. Making 800 yard shots on paper and making ethical kills on game are two totally different things. Start at 100 yards shooting paper plates in field conditions (off hand, using a field expedient rest, etc), keep increasing the range until the furthest distance you can keep 10 out of 10 shots on the plate. You just found your max range. Chances are, your going to be in the 300 to 400 yard range if you practice a lot. Given that, a 270 will cleanly take elk at that range. When you get out of that long range mindset and start working on your stalk, you will get a lot more satisfaction from the hunt. The past several years, I've done most of my hunting with a 54 cal smoothbore muzzleloader. I don't kill as much game but when I do, I feel a lot more satisfaction from the hunt.
 
The old gunsmith said:
I'm probably going to tick a bunch of people off but if your looking at 800 yard shots, you need to learn how to hunt. Making 800 yard shots on paper and making ethical kills on game are two totally different things. Start at 100 yards shooting paper plates in field conditions (off hand, using a field expedient rest, etc), keep increasing the range until the furthest distance you can keep 10 out of 10 shots on the plate. You just found your max range. Chances are, your going to be in the 300 to 400 yard range if you practice a lot. Given that, a 270 will cleanly take elk at that range. When you get out of that long range mindset and start working on your stalk, you will get a lot more satisfaction from the hunt. The past several years, I've done most of my hunting with a 54 cal smoothbore muzzleloader. I don't kill as much game but when I do, I feel a lot more satisfaction from the hunt.
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Again, 800 yards IF you want to take the shot… I’m with you. I’ve shot deer i could have stabbed with my knife. Lol. And I shot a doe at 75 yards this year. But it’s also another set of issues to shoot long distance. No excuse for poor marksmanship and less for poor sportsmanship.
 
7 MM mag or 30-06. You will need more energy and long range performance for the ranges and animals you are talking about. Closer range 7-08 or .308.
 
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